Facing Uchiha Madara's Susanoo, the Third Raikage couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
But against Black Zetsu's knockoff version—even a full-body one—he wasn't intimidated in the slightest.
He had already fought it before and knew firsthand that his strongest spear could pierce through Susanoo's defenses.
The battle was on the verge of erupting.
Tsunade glanced toward the battlefield and asked,
"Do we need to assist them?"
"No," Takuya shook his head firmly.
"Obito alone isn't much of a threat. With the other Kage present, along with your granduncle, he won't get a chance to target the Jinchūriki or the Tailed Beasts."
Not everyone who could summon a giant warrior was on Madara's level.
And not every full-body Susanoo was as terrifying as his.
With Obito's current eyes and body—White Zetsu cells or not—Black Zetsu could squeeze every last bit of strength out of him, and he still wouldn't be able to withstand the combined assault of the Third Raikage and Senju Tobirama.
Unless something unexpected happened, Black Zetsu would retreat soon enough.
The battle raged on.
Susanoo's armor was repeatedly shattered and reformed. The Wooden Golem and Wood Dragon were constantly destroyed and reconstructed.
The Hidden Cloud Village had turned into a warzone. The sheer impact of the fight left many unlucky Allied Shinobi either injured or outright dead.
The fortunate ones only suffered collateral wounds. The unlucky ones never got up again.
Tsunade had her hands full, and Takuya instructed Minato and Nawaki to stay with her.
If anything unexpected happened, they were to step in immediately.
With Minato around, Tsunade was unlikely to face any real danger.
If she couldn't win, she could at least escape.
One Flying Thunder God Technique, and she'd vanish in an instant.
Not even Madara would be able to stop her.
With a single slash, Madara severed another Wood Dragon and burst into laughter.
"Is this all you've got, Hashirama? How utterly disappointing."
Susanoo's armor was continuously shattered, only to be reassembled again.
The Wooden Golem and Wood Dragon suffered the same fate, repeatedly being destroyed and recreated.
Senju Hashirama had lost count of how many times he had used these jutsu.
If that was the case…
He took a deep breath, clapped his hands together, and closed his eyes.
The moment he reopened them, strange markings had appeared on his face.
So, he was finally resorting to Sage Mode?
Now then, what about you, Madara? When are you going to bring out the Rinnegan?
Takuya wasn't sure if Edo Tensei Madara could still use the Rinnegan's unique ability—Limbo: Border Jail.
He was curious to find out.
Just like the Mangekyō Sharingan, every pair of Rinnegan had distinct abilities.
Madara's Limbo: Border Jail was unique to him, just as Sasuke's Rinnegan—granted by the Sage of Six Paths—allowed him to open space-time portals and use Amenotejikara.
Unfortunately for Sasuke, he only had one Rinnegan, even if it was a Tomoe Rinnegan.
A single Rinnegan was nowhere near as powerful as a full pair.
Besides, Sasuke's Rinnegan had been given to him by the Sage of Six Paths.
In other words, it was a power boost, not something he had awakened himself.
One could argue it was an artificial upgrade, but only the Sage himself knew the true extent of its limitations.
Regardless, after the battle with Kaguya, the timeline shifted into Boruto, and both Sasuke and Naruto became shadows of their former selves.
At this point, it was so underwhelming that Takuya could barely bring himself to watch.
"Come, Madara!!"
Hashirama roared, fully entering Sage Mode.
"Sage Art: Wood Release—True Several Thousand Hands!!"
"Hahaha, finally! It's here at last!!"
Madara's laughter echoed through the battlefield.
Decades ago, at the Valley of the End, he had been defeated by this very technique—despite bringing the Nine-Tails into the fight.
And now, Hashirama had once again unleashed it upon the ninja world.
"Almighty All-Creation!!"
Boom!
A colossal, Buddha-like statue erupted from the earth, towering far above even the full-body Susanoo.
Hashirama stood atop its head as the ground trembled beneath its sheer weight. The entire mountain range shook under the pressure of the technique.
Was this even something a human should be able to do?
The onlookers were left completely stunned.
Nearby, Kushina and Pakura's eyes widened in shock.
They had grown up hearing tales of Hashirama's legend.
But now, they finally understood the true extent of his power.
Senju Hashirama was truly terrifying.
Inside the sealed space, Kurama curled up into a tiny ball, not daring to move.
He would never forget the time, decades ago, when that very same technique had caught him like a helpless chick.
The full-body Susanoo—massive by normal standards—suddenly seemed minuscule in comparison to True Several Thousand Hands.
Takuya mused that perhaps only the Six Paths version of a fully empowered Susanoo could compare.
The one that the Sage of Six Paths had created stood so tall it reached the heavens themselves.
"Hrngh!!"
Madara had no intention of using the Rinnegan yet.
Instead, Susanoo drew its massive blade and slashed toward the enormous Buddha.
"Top Transcendent Thousand-Armed Kannon!!"
At this point, there was no turning back.
The only path forward was for Hashirama to defeat Madara and seal him away.
Thousands of hands clenched into fists and rained down upon Susanoo.
BOOM!
Almighty All-Creation was obliterated in an instant.
And in the next moment, the full-body Susanoo followed suit, utterly annihilated by the barrage of blows.
Even Madara himself was engulfed in the storm of punches.
Hashirama had just given a masterclass in why brute force was the ultimate answer.
"Is it over?"
"…Gulp."
"That was terrifying."
The onlookers could hardly believe what they had just witnessed.
How was something like that even possible for a human?
No wonder he was called the God of Shinobi.
No wonder the other villages had spent years unable to lift their heads in his presence.
As long as he was alive, no one dared to step out of line.
Facing such an overwhelming force, who would be foolish enough to rebel?
At last, it seemed like everything was over.
Nobody could imagine Madara surviving such an attack.
He had to be dead.
As the dust settled, the massive crater left behind by the devastating assault was revealed.
And at the center of it, lying in the debris, was Madara—his body half-destroyed.
"Hahaha! As expected! That was incredible, Hashirama! This is why you're the only man I acknowledge!!"
He's still alive?!
Despite his body being mangled beyond recognition—reduced to little more than a head and upper torso—Madara showed no signs of concern.
After all, he was in Edo Tensei form.
Unless he was sealed or struck by a special attack, he wouldn't die.
Damn Edo Tensei…
Once they sealed Madara, Hashirama swore he would personally make sure Tobirama destroyed this jutsu forever.
He stepped toward the crater, preparing to use a sealing technique to finally put an end to Madara's schemes.
But in his preoccupation, he failed to notice something critical—Madara's eyes had changed.
His Sharingan had morphed into the Rinnegan.
"Hmm?"
Something felt off.
As the God of Shinobi, Hashirama's instincts were razor-sharp.
Even if he hadn't noticed Madara's Rinnegan activation directly, he could sense that something wasn't right.
"Fire Release: Hiding in Ash and Dust Jutsu!"
A thick cloud of burning ash erupted from Madara's mouth, rapidly expanding to engulf the entire crater.
The suffocating cloud obscured everyone's vision.
Not only that—it disrupted their sensory abilities as well.
Hashirama frowned deeply.
He didn't know what Madara was planning.
But whatever it was, it wasn't good.
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read the rest of the Chapter at Patreon com/ Emik01.
DO NOT FORGET POWER STONE AND CHATTING